VIDEO: Jason Cummings on his move to the City Ground and ambitions for the coming season.
Nottingham Forest forward Jason Cummings says the Reds can ‘push for promotion’ next season and the lure of working with manager Mark Warburton was a ‘massive factor’ in him joining the club.
The 21-year-old signed from Scottish side Hibernian last month on a three-year deal, thought to be worth around £1m.
The striker became manager Mark Warburton’s first summer arrival after firing 23 goals to secure promotion to the Scottish Premiership for Neil Lennon’s side last season.
And Cummings says the prospect of linking up with the former Rangers boss and his assistant David Weir was a huge draw for him to move to England and further his development on the pitch.
Cummings said: “He [Warburton] was a massive factor in me coming. I’ve played against him a few times when he was at Rangers and all the Rangers boys have done nothing but praise him.
“I came down and met him and he was brand new with me and Dave [Weir] as well, I feel like I’m going to learn a lot from them.
“He said he [Warburton] was really keen [to sign me]. That’s one of the things as a player, you need to play for someone that believes in you and knows how good you are and will work with you.
“The gaffer will work with me and make me better. I’m still young and I’ve got a lot of learning to do to further my career under the gaffer at Nottingham Forest.”
Cummings says he hopes to develop his strength and all-round play and the Reds are ‘on the way up’ after surviving relegation on the final day of last season against Ipswich and being taken over by Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis.
“The gaffer came in [in March] and things have changed, things are on the way up – it’s one of the best times to come to this club,” he said.
VIDEO: Joe Worrall speaks ahead of the Reds’ pre-season trip to Florida.
“It’s going to be a hard season, like it is every year, but I feel like we can push for promotion.
“The owner’s come in and says he wants the club to get back into the Premier League and it’s the same with the gaffer as well and it’s the same with the gaffer as well they want to get back up there.
“I think I can improve my all-round play as well. Goals are not a problem but my all-round play, my strength and stuff, I think that’ll come when I mature a little bit.”
Spelling out his ambitions for the forthcoming Championship campaign, Cummings says he will work his ‘socks off’ to claim, and hold down, a first-team spot.
And he says, after reporting for pre-season training last week, the intensity of English football is far greater than what he’s been used to at Hibs.
Cummings said: “First of all I want to try and get myself in the team. I’ve seen the calibre of players down here and they’re brilliant and now they’re a lot fitter and stronger [than what I’ve been used to playing with].
“It’s going to be hard for me to get into the team but I’m going to work my socks off to make sure I get a jersey – that’s my first aim. And when I’m in the team I want to stay in the team, they’re my targets.
“I think it’ll take time. Scottish football [compared] to English football is a lot different, it’ll take a bit of time to adapt to a different style of play.
“The intensity down here’s a lot quicker and the tempo and the passing’s a lot faster, it just takes time to get used to. I came here early doors and I’ve got a lot of time to get used to it and I can’t wait to get back.”
The Reds today fly to Florida for a two-week training camp before returning home to play a string of pre-season friendlies, the first a clash with local rivals Notts County at Meadow Lane on July 19.
Centre-half Joe Worrall told Notts TV the training sessions have been ‘more intense’ this summer compared to last season under the helm of Philippe Montanier.
Worrall, who broke into the side last season, says the Reds will wipe ‘the slate clean’ from the disappointment of narrowly avoiding the drop into League One and have a good start to the season.
And he says, on a personal level, he hopes to get as many games as he can under his belt and help Forest climb the table.
He said: “It’s [training] a lot more intense, there’s more of a togetherness and no grey areas. Everyone’s focused on the right job and so they should be.
“Last season was massive. I think securing Championship status was the be all and end all for this club and some of the players.
“Going onto next season we can only build on that. I don’t think we’ll ever be in that position again, we can’t afford to. The fans can’t afford to either.
“People lose faith. Seasons roll into the next and if it’s the same old, same old, people lose interest. So do the players as well. We just need to wipe the slate clean crack on with next season and hopefully we can climb up the table early doors and stay there.
“For me [my aim is] to play as many games as I can and help Forest climb up the table and, who knows, maybe we can achieve something special.”
